Wednesday, May 30, 2018

NASA Astronaut Alan Bean, 4th Man on the Moon and Accomplished Artist, Passes Away at Age 86

Portrait of Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean, who walked on the Moon in 1969, commanded the second Skylab crew in 1973 and went on in retirement to paint the remarkable worlds and sights he had seen like no other artist.  Credit: NASA
Ken Kremer  --   SpaceUpClose.com  --   30 May 2018

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – NASA astronaut and Navy test pilot Alan Bean, the 4th man to walk on the Moon during the Apollo program and commander of the second Skylab space station mission who became an accomplished artist after retiring from the space agency, passed away this past weekend at age 86.
Alan Bean died on Saturday, May 26, at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, after a short illness surrounded by his family, the family announced in a statement.
His sudden death resulted from an illness contracted just two weeks ago while traveling in Fort Wayne, Indiana
“Alan was the strongest and kindest man I ever knew. He was the love of my life and I miss him dearly,” said Leslie Bean, Alan Bean’s wife of 40 years, in a statement. “A native Texan, Alan died peacefully in Houston surrounded by those who loved him.”
Bean, a two-time space flyer, was one of only 12 humans to ever set foot on the lunar surface in the history of Humankind.  
Walkout of the Apollo 12 crew for Saturn V launch to the Moon on Nov. 14 1969 from the Kennedy Space Center, FL. Credit: Julian Leek
“As all great explorers are, Alan was a boundary pusher," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. "Rather than accepting the limits of technology, science, and even imagination, he sought to advance those lines -- in all his life’s endeavors.
He was originally selected by NASA as one of 14 trainees for its third group of astronauts in October 1963 – virtually all of whom went on to become famous and serve on renowned spaceflights and make legendary accomplishments as astronauts.
Bean’s history making lunar walking moment came during the Apollo 12 mission, NASA’s second lunar landing mission in November 1969, a few months after Apollo 11, the first lunar landing mission. He served as the lunar module pilot during Apollo 12.  
Alan Bean pictured by Pete Conrad (reflected in Bean's helmet). Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean holds a special environmental sample container which holds soil collected during the second moonwalk EVA. Commander Charles "Pete" Conrad had just put a soil sample in the tube with a shovel. The picture was taken in the vicinity of Sharp Crater. Conrad took the photograph and can be seen in the reflection in Bean's visor.  Credit: NASA
Today only four moonwalkers survive from NASA’s six successful Apollo Moon landing missions which took place nearly 5 decades ago from 1969 to 1972; Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot of Apollo 11, Dave Scott, commander of Apollo 15, Charlie Duke, lunar module pilot for Apollo 16, and geologist and former U.S. Sen. Harrison Schmitt, lunar module pilot for Apollo 17, the final Apollo moon landing mission in Dec 1972.
Memorial ceremony for NASA astronaut and 4th Man on the Moon Alan Bean held at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on 30 May 2018 backdropped by a mural he painted of his Apollo 12 experiences. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/kenkremer.com

During Bean’s second space mission he served as commander of the second crewed flight to America’s first space station, Skylab, in July 1973.  Skylab 3 lasted 59 days far longer than the 10-day mission of Apollo 12.  


Altogether Bean logged 69 days, 15 hours and 45 minutes in space, including 31 hours and 31 minutes on the moon’s surface during Apollo 12 and over 10 hours of spacewalks on the moon and in Earth orbit. He flew 27 aircraft types and accumulated more than 7,145 hours of flight time, 4,890 hours of it in jets.


He served in a backup role for crewmembers on Gemini 10 and Apollo 9.

“Alan and I have been best friends for 55 years — ever since the day we became astronauts,” said Walt Cunningham, who flew on Apollo 7 and was a fellow member of Astronaut Group 3, in the family statement. “When I became head of the Skylab Branch of the Astronaut Office, we worked together and Alan eventually commanded the second Skylab mission.”
“We have never lived more than a couple of miles apart, even after we left NASA. And for years, Alan and I never missed a month where we did not have a cheeseburger together at Miller’s CafĂ© in Houston. We are accustomed to losing friends in our business but this is a tough one,” said Cunningham.
The Apollo 12 crew comprised Bean, commander Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr. and command module pilot Richard F. Gordon Jr.  The trio launched on a gargantuan Saturn V moon rocket on Nov. 14, 1969 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.


Apollo 12 crew: Commander Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr., command module pilot Richard F. Gordon Jr., lunar module pilot Alan Bean. Credit: NASA
Together with Conrad, Bean accomplished a pinpoint precision landing on the moon at the ‘Ocean of Storms’ in the lunar module “Intrepid’ on Nov. 24, 1969 while Gordon remained behind to orbit the Moon in the command module ‘Yankee Clipper’.  
Conrad and Bean landed as hoped within walking distance of NASA’s unmanned Surveyor III lunar lander – merely 600 feet away - which soft-landed on the Moon on April 19, 1967.

Charles Conrad Jr., Apollo 12 Commander, examines the unmanned Surveyor III spacecraft during the second extravehicular activity (EVA-2). The Lunar Module (LM) "Intrepid" is in the right background. This picture was taken by astronaut Alan L. Bean, Lunar Module pilot. The "Intrepid" landed on the Moon's Ocean of Storms only 600 feet from Surveyor III. The television camera and several other components were taken from Surveyor III and brought back to earth for scientific analysis. Surveyor III soft-landed on the Moon on April 19, 1967.  Credit: NASA


The crew retrieved the television camera and several other components from Surveyor III which were brought back to Earth for scientific analysis by researchers to examine the impact of enduring over 2 years on the desolate lunar surface.
Bean was the last surviving member of the Apollo 12 trio.
During Apollo 12 Conrad and Bean conducted two moon walking EVA’s that lasted nearly 4 hours each - for a combined total of 7 hours, 45 minutes, 18 seconds on the lunar surface. During Apollo 11 only 1 EVA was conducted by NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.


Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean on the moon. Credit: NASA

Conrad and Bean set up and deployed several surface experiments and installed the first nuclear-powered generator station on the moon to provide the power source. They also collected a priceless stash of over 34.35 kilograms (75.7 lb) of lunar rock and soil samples.
“Alan and Pete were extremely engaged in the planning for their exploration of the Surveyor III landing site in the Ocean of Storms and, particularly, in the enhanced field training activity that came with the success of Apollo 11. This commitment paid off with Alan's and Pete's collection of a fantastic suite of lunar samples, a scientific gift that keeps on giving today and in the future,” said Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 lunar module pilot and the only geologist to walk on the moon, in a statement.
“Their description of bright green concentrations of olivine (peridot) as ‘ginger ale bottle glass,’ however, gave geologists in Mission Control all a big laugh, as we knew exactly what they had discovered.”
They also brought the first color camera to the lunar surface but it was irreparably damaged just minutes into the first EVA when Bean accidentally pointed it towards the sun- which he forever regretted. Thus there was no live video transmissions of the two moonwalks. 
In an interview for NASA's 50th anniversary in 2008, “Bean said walking on the moon was one of the most fun things he had done.”
"At one-sixth gravity in that suit, you have to move in a different way," he told NASA. "One of the paintings that I did was called 'Tip Toeing on The Ocean of Storms.' And it shows that I'm up on my tip toes as I'm moving around. And we did that a lot. On Earth, I weighed 150 pounds; my suit and backpack weighed another 150. 300 pounds. Up there, I weighed only 50. So I could prance around on my toes. It was quite easy to do. And if you remember back to some of the television we saw, Buzz and Neil on the Moon with Apollo 11. Black and white. They were bouncing around a lot. They were really bouncing on their tip toes. Quite fun to do. Someday maybe be a great place for a vacation."
Bean’s second spaceflight as commander of the Skylab 3 mission set a then world space endurance record of 59 days from July 19 to Sept. 25, 1973.  
NASA Skylab space station prior to launch on Saturn V from KSC. Credit: Julian Leek

Bean and crewmates Owen K. Garriott and Jack R. Lousma sailed 4.4-million-miles in Earth orbit inside the Skylab space station and carried out much science research focusing on the sun and Earth and human physiology.
Astronaut Alan Bean, Skylab 3 commander, flies the M509 Astronaut Maneuvering Equipment in the forward dome area of the Orbital Workshop on the space station cluster in Earth orbit. Bean is strapped into the back mounted, hand-controlled Automatically Stabilized Maneuvering Unit (ASMU). The dome area is about 22 feet in diameter and 19 feet from top to bottom.  Credits: NASA

During his career Bean established 11 records in space and aeronautics, and received many awards and honors.
“Among those awards were two NASA distinguished service medals, two Navy Distinguished Service Medals, the Rear Admiral William S. Parsons Award for Scientific and Technical Progress, the Robert J. Collier Trophy, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale’s Yuri Gagarin Gold Medal, the V.M. Komarov diploma, the Robert H. Patuxent River Goddard Gold Medal, the AIAA Octave Chanute Award and the ASA Flight Achievement Award,” said NASA. 
After 18 years at NASA he retired in 1981 he started a third career and became an acclaimed artist who painted moonscapes, sprinkled in with a touch of moon dust from his patches and embossed with a replica of the boot he wore on the moon and hammer he collected moon rocks with.
 “When Alan's third career as the artist of Apollo moved forward, he would call me to ask about some detail about lunar soil, color or equipment he wanted to have represented exactly in a painting. Other times, he wanted to discuss items in the description he was writing to go with a painting. His enthusiasm about space and art never waned. Alan Bean is one of the great renaissance men of his generation — engineer, fighter pilot, astronaut and artist,” said Schmitt, in a family statement.



Alan Bean: 4th Man on the Moon – An American Space Hero Forever Remembered- plaque at the US Astronaut Hall Of Fame at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, FL. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/kenkremer.com

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.


Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

Apollo 12 mission patch

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Key Instrument on NOAA’s Advanced New GOES-17 Weather Observatory Suffers Serious Anomaly




The NOAA/NASA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S), or GOES-17, is being processed in the clean room at Astrotech Space Operations, in Titusville, FL, prior to launch on a ULA Atlas V on Mar. 1, 2018.  GOES-S belongs to new constellation of America’s most advanced weather satellites. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/kenkremer.com

Ken Kremer  --   SpaceUpClose.com  --   28 May 2018

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL –  The key weather observing instrument on board the nations newest advanced weather observatory, GOES-17, has suffered a serious anomaly with the cooling system essential for enabling measurements with most of the spectral bands, say NOAA managers.

The cooling system of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument on GOES-17 failed to start up properly during the normal on-orbit check out and commissioning phase, said top managers of The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, at a May 23 media briefing.  NOAA runs the nations fleet of weather observing satellites.

ABI is the premier instrument on GOES-17 making 95% of the measurements. 

GOES-S weather observation satellite instrument suite graphic. Credit: NASA/NOAA
The cooling system is needed to cool ABI to approximately 60 Kelvin (or minus 351 degrees Fahrenheit)

GOES-17 is the second satellite in a new constellation of weather observatories - known as the GOES-R program - that are intended to provide a revolutionary upgrade to the nations weather satellite fleet and weather forecasting abilities.   
GOES satellites are jointly developed by NOAA and NASA.


GOES-17, also known as GOES-S, was successfully launched to geostationary orbit barely three months ago.

“The GOES-R Program is currently addressing a performance issue with the cooling system encountered during commissioning of the GOES-17 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument,” said NOAA. 

“The cooling system is an integral part of the ABI and did not start up properly during the on-orbit checkout.”

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) lifted off on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from seaside Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 1, 2018.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-S at 5:02 p.m. EST on March 1, 2018.  GOES-S is the second satellite in a series of next-generation weather satellites. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/kenkremer.com


A six-month checkout of its suite of six state-of-the-art science observing instruments and spacecraft systems commenced on March 26 along with maneuvering the satellite to its checkout position at 89.5 degrees West longitude.

The failure with the cooling system impacts observations from 13 of the 16 spectral bands in the infrared and near infrared wavelengths. Only the 3 visible band channels appear to be unaffected at this time. 

GOES-S artists concept. Credit: NOAA/NASA

“The issue affects 13 of the infrared and near-infrared channels on the instrument,” said NOAA.

“At this time, we do not believe that the three channels with the shortest wavelengths, which includes the visible channels, are significantly affected.” 

“This is a serious problem,” said Steve Volz head of NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service in a media call with reporters.

“This is the premier Earth-pointing instrument on the GOES platform, and 16 channels, of which 13 are infrared or near-infrared, are important elements of our observing requirements, and if they are not functioning fully, it is a loss. It is a performance issue we have to address.”

The ABI instrument was built by Harris Corporation.

An identical ABI instrument on the GOES-16 satellite launched in 2016 is functioning  normally.   GOES-16 is the first in the four satellite series of advanced GOES observatories.

The next satellite named GOES-T is scheduled to launch in 2020

Volz said that a joint team comprising NASA, NOAA, Harris and prime contractor Lockheed Martin has been formed to investigate the anomaly pursue multiple courses of possible corrective actions.

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

Monday, May 28, 2018

Bangabandhu-1 Liftoff on Revamped SpaceX Falcon 9: Gallery



Liftoff of Bangabandhu-1 geostationary communications satellite for nation of Bangladesh on 1st new and improved Block 5 version of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 11, 2018 at 4:14 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida – as seen from the pad perimeter. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Ken Kremer  --   SpaceUpClose.com  --   27 May 2018



KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL –  Earlier this month Bangabandhu-1 lifted off on the first flight of SpaceX’s heavily revamped Block 5 version of the firms commercial Falcon 9 rocket from the Florida Space Coast on May 11.


This new and improved model of the Falcon 9 will also soon launch US astronauts back to space and the International Space Station from US soil. 


The upgraded 23 story tall Falcon 9 lifted off right on time at 4:14 p.m. EDT (2014 GMT) from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Beautiful blastoff of Bangabandhu-1 geostationary communications satellite for nation of Bangladesh on 1st new and improved Block 5 version of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 11, 2018 at 4:14 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida – as seen from the pad crawlerway. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Enjoy our eyewitness SpaceUpClose.com photo and video gallery of the Falcon 9 boosters launch from America’s Premier Spaceport!
This marked the 9th SpaceX launch of 2018- doubling last years launch pace
This story and imagery are belatedly online here due to my need to NASA’s eastern Virginia shore launch base at Wallops Island to see the then upcoming launch of the Orbital ATK Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus cargo freighter on the OA-9 resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station (ISS). 
Liftoff of Bangabandhu-1 geostationary communications satellite on 1st upgraded  Block 5 version of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 11, 2018 at 4:14 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida – as seen from the pad perimeter. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
The 229 foot tall (70 meter) Falcon 9 soared off seaside pad 39A into brilliant blue skies mixed in with wispy clouds that afforded an absolutely gorgeous sky show for spectators gathered from across the globe to witness the spectacle.

Liftoff of Bangabandhu-1 geostationary communications satellite on 1st upgraded  Block 5 version of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 11, 2018 at 4:14 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida – as seen from the pad perimeter. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Bangabandhu-1 is the 1st ever geostationary communications satellite for the nation of Bangladesh.

Bangabandhu-1 blastoff May 11, 2018 from pad39A at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

The Bangabandhu-1 geosatcom will greatly improve internet and TV connectivity in Bangladesh and benefit peoples lives across Asia - especially in rural areas. 

Beautiful blastoff of Bangabandhu-1 geostationary communications satellite for nation of Bangladesh on 1st new and improved Block 5 version of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 11, 2018 at 4:14 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida – as seen from the KSC press site. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

The two stage Falcon 9 liftoff off roared off pad 39 after all 9 Merlin 1D engines igniting to generate about 1.95 million pounds of liftoff thrust- roughly 8 percent higher than the prior Block 4 version of the booster. 
Liftoff of Bangabandhu-1 comsat on 1st upgraded  Block 5 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 11, 2018 at 4:14 p.m. EDT from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
Liftoff of Bangabandhu-1 comsat on 1st upgraded  Block 5 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 11, 2018 at 4:14 p.m. EDT from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com


Some eight minutes after successfully launching Bangabandhu-1 on May 11 the first stage accomplished a precision guided soft landing onto the deck of the drone ship named ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ or OCISLY for short, by reigniting a subset of the 9 Merlin 1D first stage engines. 


Watch our ear-splittingly loud Up-Close launch video:


Video Caption: Launch of 1st upgraded Block 5 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 11, 2018 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, FL, delivering Bangabandhu-1 comsat to geostationary orbit - as seen in this remote camera video taken at the pad. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Read out accompanying booster arrival story.
SpaceX next Falcon 9 launch from the Florida Spaceport is scheduled for May 31, 2018 at 12:29 a.m. EDT carrying the SES-12 comsat to geostationary transfer orbit.
SpaceX Falcon 9 streaks skyward delivering Bangabandhu-1 comsat to geostationary orbit on May 11, 2018 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, FL. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer - email: ken at kenkremer.com




Photos for sale – contact Ken if interested



Bangabandhu-1 blastoff May 11, 2018 from pad39A at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Bangabandhu-1 blastoff May 11, 2018 from pad39A at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
Bangabandhu-1 blastoff May 11, 2018 from pad39A at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com




Saturday, May 26, 2018

TESS Planet Hunter Snaps 1st Test Image, Completes Lunar Flyby Targeting Last Thruster Firing to Final Science Orbit

This test image from one of the four cameras aboard the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) captures a swath of the southern sky along the plane of our galaxy. TESS is expected to cover more than 400 times the amount of sky shown in this image when using all four of its cameras during science operations.  Credits: NASA/MIT/TESS
Ken Kremer  --   SpaceUpClose.com  --   25 May 2018


KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – NASA’s newest planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), achieved a pair of key commissioning phase  milestones by powered up its ground breaking cameras to snap its first test image and completing the critical orbit adjusting gravity assist lunar flyby – thereby setting the probe up for the final thruster firing this week required to arrive at its final P/2 resonant science orbit.



Over 200,000 stars are visible in the TESS test image. 

Imagine all the exoplanets soon to be discovered - maybe even a New Earth !

The lunar flyby was successfully carried out on May 17 at 06:31:52.180 UTC when the table sized TESS swung by the moon at an altitude of approximately 8000 kilometers (5000 mi) altitude above the surface.


“NASA’s next planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), is one step closer to searching for new worlds after successfully completing a lunar flyby on May 17,” NASA said in a post flyby statement.


“The spacecraft passed about 5,000 miles from the Moon, which provided a gravity assist that helped TESS sail toward its final working orbit.”


The final thruster firing is scheduled for May 30.


The goal of TESS is to carry out an all sky survey and discover dozens of new Earth and Super Earth sized exoplanets beyond our Solar System that may be capable of supporting life, and possibly answer one of humanities most profound questions – “Are We Alone?”





NASA’s TESS Exoplanet hunter being processed by technicians inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility clean room on Feb 20, 2018 at the Kennedy Space Center.  Launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 occurred on April 18, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/kenkremer.com


The TESS camera test image was taken as part of the spacecraft and camera commissioning phases – but NOT during the lunar flyby.

“No science will be gathered during the flyby,” said Lockwood.

The test image was snapped as part of camera commissioning by the science team for a two-second duration using one of the four identical TESS CCD cameras.

“The image, centered on the southern constellation Centaurus, reveals more than 200,000 stars,” said NASA.

“The edge of the Coalsack Nebula is in the right upper corner and the bright star Beta Centauri is visible at the lower left edge. TESS is expected to cover more than 400 times as much sky as shown in this image with its four cameras during its initial two-year search for exoplanets. A  science-quality image, also referred to as a “first light” image, is expected to be released in June.”


Artist’s concept of NASA’s Orbital ATK-built Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) planet hunting satellite orbiting the Earth-Moon system. Credit: NASA/Orbital ATK

TESS is making excellent progress towards arriving at its final science orbit - scheduled for mid-June.

P/2 is the name of the TESS missions final science orbit. 


Graphic of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite orbit raising maneuvers. Credit: NASA


TESS was just over halfway through the demanding regimen of on board thruster firings required to carry out the preplanned series of six orbit raising maneuvers setting up the ‘do or die’ Lunar Flyby trajectory adjustment on May 17 – absolutely critical to reaching its intended science perch, Orbital ATK TESS program manager Robert Lockwood told SpaceUpClose.com in a pre-flyby interview.

“We are very excited about the lunar flyby!” gushed Lockwood.

The $240 million spacecraft was built by prime contractor Orbital ATK.



The flyby of the Moon on May 17 … will change the orbit significantly ..  and get in position    … to do a period adjustment to get into the special ‘goldilocks’ orbit - the P/2 lunar resonant orbit.”


P/2 is the name of the TESS missions final science orbit. 





TESS is NASA’s second exoplanet mission and a follow up to the hugely successful Kepler probe which discovered over 2300 exoplanets of all sizes.





I asked Lockwood to describe the impact on the mission and how important is the lunar flyby?


“The lunar flyby will change the orbit significantly.  That’s really part of the whole elegance of the mission design. The lunar flyby will put us in an orbit that’s inclined to the ecliptic by about 35 degrees,” Lockwood stated.


“It will also raise our Perigee up to double the distance of GEO. So we’ll be at about 17 Earth radii for the perigee and 70 Earth radii for the apogee.”


“The we will do the period adjust maneuver after that to lower the apogee to about 59 Earth radii.”


“That period adjust maneuver which lasts about 15 minutes will put TESS in exact resonance with the Moon.”


“We are very excited about the lunar flyby!”


Add caption







The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) successfully blasted off on a two stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 6:51 p.m. EDT, April 18, from seaside Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.






NASA’s next planet-hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), successfully launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on April 18, 2018 from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL - in this view from a pad camera. TESS will search for new worlds outside our solar system for further study.   Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com


TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT and managed by Goddard. George Ricker, of MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, serves as principal investigator for the mission. TESS’s four wide-field cameras were developed by MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASA’s Ames Research Center, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.


Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA’s TESS, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.


Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer - ken at kenkremer.com



Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose with the TESS spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility clean room on Feb 20, 2018 at the Kennedy Space Center.  Launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 occurred on April 18, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/kenkremer.com